The present invention relates to a fluid cooling system designed for electronic components, with radiation and absorption incorporated in an integrated unit, and more particularly, to a central processing unit (“CPU”) radiator with internal circulation integral mode liquid cooling system.
During the past decades technologies in electronics have improved tremendously. Devices such as microprocessors have been become one of the major electronic components in many products such as TVs, radios, home appliances and computers and gradually become part of people's daily life. Transistors enabled people to make microprocessor more reliable, consume less power and have a higher working speed. Further developments of the integrated circuits (ICs) allowed multiple electronic circuits to be combined on the same chip. Since then, chip manufacturers tend to reduce the overall size of the microprocessors and concurrently increase the total number of transistors therein.
Like many electronic devices, microprocessors have a range of operating temperature, below which the device would function well. Exceeding the operating temperature or an excessively high temperature would adversely effect the overall performance of the device. Exceeding continuously the operating temperature for a certain amount of time would result in device failure or damage. It is therefore understood that thermal management in present-day electronics plays a very important role, particularly when heat is generated during operation. The CPU produces heat during the operation of the computer. Heat must be quickly carried away from the CPU during the operation of the computer.
Conventionally, thermal control is achieved by using a fan to provide ambient air to the device. This type of cooling system generally requires a large surface area so that more air can be directed to the device. However, manufacturers tend to develop chips in a compact size such cooling system certainly does not meet the need. Other drawbacks of this type include slow heat transfer and energy-inefficient.
Alternatively, a cooling system with water other than air can be used, and can be refrigerated rather than at ambient temperature. Such cooling systems include those designed as separate compartments, i.e., units for radiation and absorption. With such segregated components, leakage, slow and unstable circulation resulted thereby leading to inefficient heat transfer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,304 discloses an auxiliary cooling system for cooling a central processing unit (CPU) which includes an inner tube provided within an outer tube. A first end of the outer tube is attached to a fan and a second end of the outer tube is attached to a housing of a computer adjacent the CPU. Inlet and outlet tubes are attached to a first end and second end of the inner tube. A pump draws a cooling fluid from a cooling source and passes the cooling fluid to the inner tube. As the cooling fluid passes through the inner tube, the temperature of the air within the outer tube is decreased. A fan is used to direct the cool air onto the CPU.
Other cooling means have been developed previously for dissipating heat from the CPU of a computer. For example, a structure of CPU cooling arrangement comprises a heat sink mounted on the CPU, the heat sink having a plurality of bottom mounting legs inserted through respective through holes on the CPU, a spring retainer fastened to the bottom mounting legs of the heat sink to secure the heat sink and the CPU together, and a fan mounted on the heat sink. However, low performance and inefficient dissipation of hot air resulted.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,907 discloses a CPU cooling system for use in a computer to dissipate heat from the CPU of the computer comprising a water tank holding a liquid coolant, radiators, a water circulation pipe assembly for circulation of the liquid coolant through the radiators, and a pump external to the water tank whereby the liquid coolant is pumped through the water circulation pipe assembly. However, as the above prior art system has separate compartments, more efficient radiation is desirable.
Although use of water may remove the heat and reduce the temperature produced by electronic components, there is still a need for the development of a stable, rapid, high energy efficient, small capacity, impact resistant and leakage-free cooling system.
The present invention meets this need.